Of all the modern inventions we have been exposed to over the last two centuries, there is no doubt we depend on cars the most. While cars are the most convenient means of transportation available today, they also continue to be one of the deadliest inventions ever made. An estimated 1.2 million people are killed in car crashes each year, and 50 million are injured as a result of car accidents. Yet, we cannot give driving up. We wouldn’t know how to begin planning a trip without a car, and many automobile companies would go out of business.
   So what can we do to fix the problem? CNN now honors a new innovation project headed by carmakers and automotive tech companies that utilizes computer technology, the most successful industry since the automobile industry, to make vehicles smarter and safer to drive. The project features 10 new computer innovations with which carmakers have completed, or are experimenting. “The CNN 10” presents the project based on one fact: humans are flawed drivers. Future automotive companies hope to reduce accidents caused by reckless driving with computers that monitor the environment from within the car to prevent such collisions from occurring.
    Luxury vehicles already feature laser headlights, but technology must be improved in order for prices to drop to the point that such headlights are available to all cars. Self-driving and self-parking vehicles, on the other hand, are still quite a few years away due to the fear of errors in technology. Such qualities might be a good thing for disabled persons or saving time in parking garages, but another factor to consider is that such advanced technology might result in more accidents due to errors or loss of driving independence. More advanced features, therefore, are still under investigation.
    “The CNN 10” features are soon predicted to start making their appearances in the economy. Two of these features are vehicle-to-vehicle communication and cars that collect data about our driving behaviors. While some consumers remain skeptical of digital monitoring, insurance companies and technology researchers feel that such innovations should be implemented as soon as possible.
   Progressive, the insurance company, has found a new way of monitoring consumer’s braking behaviors. That is, their Snapshot tool can tell whether you tend to make more abrupt or gentle stops. This could determine whether or not you are eligible for coverage of an accident. In the future, automotive tech companies hope to perfect a monitoring device that will allow the car to switch to electric power rather than gas if the car knows you are close to home. Some carmakers are focusing on a device that monitors the overall health of a driver, including a sensor that will detect drunk driving. The idea is that the car will respond in the most appropriate way possible to any given health hazard, such as slowing down automatically to prevent a collision.
   Some consumers and automotive companies remain skeptical of such extensive monitoring, saying it is an invasion of privacy, while insurance companies encourage it. As far as traffic jams and collisions are concerned, cars that collect data about the driver still need to be perfected. Technology has its limits and, if a monitor causes a car to respond in the wrong way to a particular situation, could be even more risky for drivers.
   On the brighter side, many researchers find that vehicle-to-vehicle communication has improved The idea is that devices within the car will allow cars to communicate with each other. For example, your car will respond automatically if it gets a signal that the car in front of you is turning right. This is still being tested as well, but as of right now, carmakers theorize vehicle-to-vehicle communication has the potential to prevent 76 percent of car collisions. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication is also not as invasive to personal privacy.
   This project has the potential to make the roads a safer place. Even though carmakers hope to implement these changes within the automobile industry soon, it will take a while for such significant changes to spread throughout the economy due to expenses and the risk of individuals’ dependence on technology. If researchers find a way to prove this technology is error-free, we might see a significant decrease in car accidents.